WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville | New scale helps parents rank daycare facilities across the state
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When we go on vacation, we sometimes look for five star hotels or five diamond resorts. Ratings that tell us where to find the best service.
Now, there's a system for ranking daycare centers.
For many parents, getting a child on the road to growing up starts with picking the best daycare.
"When you drop your child off somewhere, it's about the most important thing to you," says parent Hellen Carrington.
Hellen Carrington's daycare of choice is the preschool program at Randolph College.
"It's just a very special place. I mean, if it went through 12th grade, I would keep my kids here," says Carrington.
Randolph's preschool is one of just 31 in the state to get a top rating of 4-stars with the Virginia Star Quality Initiative.
"The rating system is set up by the state to provide some accountability for all preschool education programs," says Regional Coordinator Gayle Lucado.
Daycares get evaluated over the course of a year.
"You go in and you observe a classroom for a good portion of the day," says Greta Morris, Director of Rivermont Baptist Early Learning Center.
Greta Morris runs Rivermont Baptist Early Learning Center, which also got a 4-star rating.
She volunteers with the star program as an evaluator for other preschools.
"More than anything, the most important thing we were looking at and the part that's weighed the heaviest is teacher-child interaction," says Morris.
Every preschool is "cut out" for the star process, but not everyone is participating.
It's still a voluntary program, but it could someday become mandatory for everyone.
In addition to ratings, schools that take part in the star program also get constructive feedback.
"Identifying ways that you can improve. It's to help all the centers have quality so all children have access to quality care," says Holly Layne, Randolph College Preschool Program Director.
Giving daycares a push in the right direction.
To find out how pre-schools in your area rank, click here.
